Only a Human (spencer reid x oc) ✅

twitching

Spencer's POV

It has now been two weeks since Ariel slipped into a coma. Two weeks of me sitting in this hospital room, hoping for a better outcome.

Today wasn't any different. I was in a chair by her bed, reading a book, while Cheryl was on the other side of the bed, talking quietly with Delilah. The silence was broken when two of my coworkers walked in.

"Auntie JJ! Auntie Penny!" Delilah jumped off of Cheryl's lap and ran to greet her aunts. Penelope had yet another gift basket to give us. This was the seventh one I've received from her in the past few weeks. She's such a thoughtful person and has been so supportive throughout all of this.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"We wanted to stop by before heading to work," JJ said as she pulled me into a hug.

"What treats have you brought us today?" I asked Garcia. She smiled and set the basket on the little table. "It's mixed nuts and seeds. I did some research and turns out these things have serotonin in 'em. Figured you could use a 'pick-me-up'."

"Thanks, Garcia."

Our attention all shifted back to Ariel. She had gotten some color back and her body wasn't as cold, but she still looked almost lifeless. I went to sit back down next to her when we all noticed it. Her fingers moved for a moment, then went still again.

"Oh my god, she moved!" Penelope explained. "Does that mean she's waking up?"

I sighed and grabbed Ariel's hand before turning back to them. "Not exactly. It takes a while to get out of a coma, it's a gradual process. So little twitches like this are a good sign, but she's still not going to be out of it for a while."

Both ladies placed a hand on my shoulder. "Sorry to leave on such short notice, but we've got a case," JJ announced. "Call us if you need anything."

I gave them both a quick hug before they walked out of the room. It was silent for a few moments before Cheryl spoke up. "Still don't know when you are going to go back?"

I shook my head, gently stroking Ariel's knuckles with my thumb. "I want to go back. I know Ariel wouldn't want me just sitting here when I could be helping the team. But I just can't think of going to work without her there, you know?"

She nodded and crossed the room, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I understand this is hard. You just wish everything could go back to normal. But I just don't want you to burn yourself out waiting here everyday. You are not a bad husband if you take some time for yourself either for work or to be with your daughter. Just think about it."

So I did.

I contemplated changing up my routine. While I was weighing all the options, I could almost hear Ariel's voice in my head, begging me to get a life. She would tell me that as much as she loved having me to herself on our days off, she knew I got a little antsy without work.

So when Morgan called with a work question, I decided to answer.

"Hey, Reid. What's up?" I asked him about the body, trying to help him figure out why the unsub was cutting off eyelids. But when he asked me how I was doing, I froze up. I could see some more twitching coming from Ariel. "I've gotta go," I quickly said as I hung up.

I sat down next to her and observed her. Her fingers started to twitch. But then something else happened. Her eyelids started to lightly flutter. I could see her eyes roll back for a quick second before they closed and she went motionless again.

I placed a kiss on her forehead, my other hand that wasn't in hers lightly stroking her cheek. "I saw that, love. You're trying to wake up, I see it. I'm so proud of you. You're so strong, baby." I hoped she could hear me. I could only imagine what she was experiencing right now. I just hoped she wasn't in any pain and that she knew I was here for her.